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Winner of George Hedley Memorial Award revealed
“I was completely overwhelmed to hear that I had been nominated for this award – it will be a huge honour to receive it” – Fiona Lovatt.
Fiona Lovatt receives award for contribution to UK sheep industry.

Veterinary surgeon Fiona Lovatt is the recipient of this year’s National Sheep Association (NSA) George Hedley Memorial Award.

The award has been made in recognition of her contribution to the UK sheep industry and promotion of good practice principles.

Dr Lovatt is the founder of the Flock Health Club concept, which helps veterinary surgeons to engage with farmers about preventative measures and responsible medicine use. She also established the Farm Vet Champions scheme at RCVS Knowledge to tackle antimicrobial resistance.

As well as representing the sheep industry as a member of the RUMA Target Task Force, Dr Lovatt is a clinical associate professor at the University of Nottingham and a former president of the Sheep Veterinary Society.

The George Hedley Memorial Award has been awarded annually since 1960. Dr Lovatt will be formally presented with the award at the NSA Sheep Event dinner on 29 July, 2024.

NSA South East Region chair Yann Le Du, who nominated Dr Lovatt for the award, said: “The Flock Health Club concept has revolutionised sheep farmer and vet engagement. For this reason, amongst many others, Fiona is held in high esteem in the sheep industry and is fully justified in being awarded with this prestigious title.”

Dr Lovatt said: “I was completely overwhelmed to hear that I had been nominated for this award – it will be a huge honour to receive it.”

Image © National Sheep Association

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Submissions open for BSAVA Clinical Research Abstracts 2026

News Story 1
 The BSAVA has opened submissions for the BSAVA Clinical Research Abstracts 2026.

It is an opportunity for applicants to present new research on any veterinary subject, such as the preliminary results of a study, discussion of a new technique or a description of an interesting case.

They must be based on high-quality clinical research conducted in industry, practice or academia, and summarised in 250 words.

Applications are welcome from vets, vet nurses, practice managers, and students.

Submissions are open until 6 March 2026. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
Survey seeks ruminant sector views on antimicrobial stewardship

A new survey is seeking views of people working in the UK ruminant sector on how to tackle the challenge of demonstrating responsible antibiotic stewardship.

Forming part of a wider, collaborative initiative, the results will help identify the types of data available so that challenges with data collection can be better understood and addressed.

Anyone working in the UK farming sector, including vets and farmers,is encouraged to complete the survey, which is available at app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk